POOR HILL 41 
The Site 
The site is situated 1.5 km south east of Waimate North (Fig. 1) on alow rounded 
ridge end. It consisted of a fortified pa on top of the ridge end (now almost obliterated) 
and numerous terraces down the slopes where a large settlement was formed external 
to the pa (Fig. 2). The main ridge runs in an east-west direction but near its end it 
curves northwards forming a natural shallow north-facing amphitheatre. It is on the 
northern spur that the fortifications were situated and the majority of terraces have 
been cut into the amphitheatre slopes below the pa. 
The pa on the ridge end was not of very imposing appearance and its natural 
defences were minimal. Along the southern approach a well preserved ditch was cut 
across the flat ridge top. It was not unusually wide or deep and the inner bank was low 
and fairly narrow. Some evidence remained for the former presence of a lateral ditch 
on the western side. The interior of the pa contained several low, north-south running 
terraces, one of which contained a rectangular stone hearth. There was also evidence 
for a well-developed drainage system. The northern end of the pa rose to a low knoll 
and then dropped into a discontinuous ditch that had a short eastern lateral extension. 
A narrow inner bank was present along the eastern side but was not evident in the 
north-western area. No surface evidence for pits was found within the defences or 
elsewhere on the site but storage could have been above ground or at some distance 
from the settlement. The local clay soils compare unfavourably with the volcanic soils 
of the Taiamai Plains a few kilometres to the south. This may have restricted the 
agricultural potential of the land around the pa. 
There were few terraces down the north-western and western flanks of the pa. The 
most impressive aspect of the site was the tiered effect of the numerous terraces cut 
into the amphitheatre slopes. The site had been cleared some 20 years before by the 
previous owner but these terraces had, subsequently, been well-preserved by the scrub 
cover and, after the recent clearing, their sharp angles still stood out (Fig. 3). There 
was a complex inter-connecting drainage system associated with the terraces and some 
of those from the pa drained down the eastern slopes to join those of the terraces in the 
amphitheatre where the drains were especially noticable and well preserved. There was 
speculation at the time of the survey as to whether the terraces were for agriculture 
rather than habitation because of their protected northern aspect and drainage 
systems but test excavation suggested they were built originally as living terraces. 
Three terraces were tested, all on the eastern slopes. It was on the biggest of the lower 
terraces that evidence for a large structure was exposed by Gorbey’s excavation. 
The terraces on the site appear to be of to two types. The upper ones immediately 
below the eastern side of the pa were generally long and narrow and some shared a 
common back scarp. Several were divided into sections by drains or depressions 
forming “semi-detached” terrace groups. The lower terraces and those around the 
amphitheatre gully were squarer and generally larger. None of these shared acommon 
scarp. Their floors were more level than the upper terraces and they were in better 
condition, before ploughing. 
On the basis of “on site” observation and a study of the site plan the terraces were 
divided into two discrete groups, an upper western set and an upper and lower 
